Olusegun Osoba, the leader of the Social Democratic Party embroiled in the $2.1 billion arms purchase scandal has made a u-turn by coming back to the ruling APC fold he deserted before the 2015 election.
The former governor of Ogun and foundation member of the APC was welcome back to the party on Sunday at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos. Present at reunion were Osun Gov. Rauf Aregbesola, party national leader Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande, and others.
“He was for a time with the SDP, but with what we have just done today, Akinrogun Osoba, the Aremo himself is back with the progressive leadership of the Yoruba race,” Aregbesola told newsmen after a closed-door meeting.
Osoba left the APC in a huff in 2014 after he was not allowed free reins to allocate tickets to contestants at the state, local, federal levels in Ogun for the general elections. Anumber of his loyalists, including his children followed him to the SDP.
According to Aregbesola, the south-western leaders of the progressive party have ironed out their differences, and are ready to move the region forward in line with the party’s change agenda.
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Tinubu also added that progressives are always united in their vision no matter where they are.
“I am an unapologetic progressive, and I will remain one,” said Tinubu, saying that is his only principle.
Osoba was three-time governor of Ogun, and had remained relevant in the south-western politics until 2014 when he bailed out of the party he helped to found. His stint in the SDP, many believe, has taken away a lot from his clout.
Worse still was the SDP involvement in the arms purchase scandal where the party national leader Olu Falae was said to have collected N100 million from the PDP strong man Tony Anenih to campaign for the re-election of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
On the EFCC list of beneficiaries of the scandal are Falae and Osoba, according to an investigation published on Sahara Reporters early in the year.